Suction cleaner



Oct. 9, 1934. J. w, WOLFE 1,975,817

SUCTION CLEANER Filed Aug. 15, 1951 Patented Oct. 9, 1934 PATENT OFFICE 1,975,817 sUCTIoN vCLEArma John W. Wolfe, Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application August 15, 1931, Serial No. 557,349

8 Claims.

The present invention relates to suction cleaners in general and particularly to a new and improved suction cleaner rotary agitator. More specically the invention comprises the provision of a suction cleaner agitator in which adjustable brushes are provided to compensate for bristle wear.

In the modern suction cleaner agitator comprising both rigid beating elements and flexible 10 bristle brushes, the bristle life is a variable dependent upon the type of covering upon which the agitator is used, and upon the qualityof the bristle used in the brush itself. The rigid beating element and the brush element in the agitator extend to substantially the same distance from the axis of rotation and, as the rigid beater element, being made of hard smooth metal, is substantially wear-proof, it is apparent that, as the brush bristles become worn and their length 20 decreased, in time they will cease to be a factor in the cleaning of the surface covering and that covering will be contacted only by the rigid beating elements; the brush elements revolving in a circle of lesser diameter and failing entirely to contact the surface covering undergoing cleaning. These brush elements are of relatively small cost and, heretofore, it has been the practice to replace them when worn to such anextentthat they no longer perform their intended function. In certain types of agitators' complicated mechanisms have been provided to adjust the effective brush lengths but, because of the relatively cheap cost of the brushes, it has not been commercially feasible to provide this mechanism.

In the agitator constructed in accordance with the present invention the brush elements themselves, and the brush seat in the agitator body proper with which they cooperate, are so formed that their effective lengths, that is the height which the bristles extend above the surface of the rotor, can be'changed by a simple adjustment of the brush relative Ato the supporting body.

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, `to Aprovide a new and improved suction cleaner agitator. A further object is to provide a new and improved rotary agitator for suction cleaners. A stillfurtherobject isto provide. a

rotary suction cleanerr agitator comprising anv adjustable brush. Anotherobject is to provide a Vrotary suction cleanerr agitator comprising a brush'which isA adaptedA to be positioned in aV plurality vof positions relative to the agitator toy eifect adjustment in the bristle height above the body lof the agitator. 'These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following speciiication and claims and upon considering in connection therewith the attached drawing to which they relate.

Referring now to the drawing in which a preferred embodiment of the present invention is disclosed:

Fig. 1 is a partial side view of a suction cleaner embodying the present invention with the casing of the cleaner broken away andfshowingthe agisition;

Fig. 5 is a section upon the line 5-5 of Figure 2;

Fig. 6 is a section upon the line 6 6 of Figure 4;

Fig. '1 is a view of a brush element per se; Fig. 8 is a partial section upon the line 8-8 of Figure 4.

In the drawing the present invention is shown embodied in a suction cleaner which is partially shown inFigure 1 which comprises a nozzle 1', and a fan chamber 2, to which the nozzle is interiorly connected, there being a rotatable fan 3 in the fan chamber 2 which is mounted upon the extended end 4 of the motor shaft. The agitator, which is indicated generally by the reference character 6 and which is driven from shaft 4 by means of belt 5, comprises a hollow body '7, which .is preferably substantially cylindrical throughout its major portions, and which is provided with longitudinally extending reentrant portions or channels 8 at each side of the pulley 9 which is itself positioned substantially at the longitudinal center of the agitator. The vagitator is rotatably mounted upon a stationary supporting shaft 10 which extends longitudinally through the body '7 and carries suitable stationary thread guard'members 11 vat its ends which serve t0 protectthev bodyy 7 from thread, hair etc. collecting around its end and around the bearing which is positioned between the shaft y10 and the body.

Positioned upon the periphery of the body 'l andformed either separately or integrally there'- with, are longitudinally extending beater bars indicatedby the reference'characters l2, 12.- These' beaters preferably extendv in curves substantially the entire 'length of the body 7 excepting the width of the pulley 9. In their preferred embodiment these beating elements 12, 12 extend but a relatively small height above the normal surface of body 7 and lie upon that surface in curves which may be helices and which have common end points.

Within each brush seat 8 is positioned an elongated brush comprising a rigid back 13 in which are seated tufts of bristles indicated generally by the reference character 14. The back 13 is greater in length than the channel 8 within which it is seated and the reduced, stepped ends 15, 15 of the back extend through openings, or recesses 16, 16 at each end of the channel. The shoulders on back 13 which define the beginning of each stepped end is held adjacent an end wall of the channel by means of resilient springs 17, 17 which are carried in the bottom of the brush seats and which urge the brush radially outward from the channel, With a brush in place within its seat and the stepped ends 15, 15 extended under the end walls of the channel 8 the brush is securely locked against accidental displacement, the centrifugal force resulting from the rotation of the agitator serving only to more securely seat it.

The stepped ends 15, 15 of the brush element, it is to be noted, are not of the same width as the remainder of the brush back 13 but are of substantially half the width thereof and, further, these ends are both positioned upon the same side of the back. Reference to the cross sectional views of Figures 5, 6 and 8 discloses that at each end of the channel portion 8 the end wall, in which the recess 16 is provided, extends inwardly to different radial position upon the opposite sides of the channel. From Figures 5 and 8 it is seen that the side of each end wall of channel 8 which extends the greatest distance toward the longitudinal axis is positioned upon the same side of the longitudinal center line of the brush seat as the corresponding side of the opposite end of the channel. It is apparent, therefore, that with the brush positioned as shown in Figure 2 with the projecting. ends 15, 15 on the far side of the brush so positioned that they extend below the longest sides of the end walls of the channel that the brush will be located relatively deep in its seat resulting in the desired bristle height above the rotor body 7, the bristles being long when the brush is new. It is in this position that the brush should be seated when new and, to insure that the user will so seat it, the words New brushpulley end is positioned adjacent that end of the brush which is adjacent the pulley when so seated. As the width of the brush back 13 is substantially the width of the brush seat 8 it is apparent that with the brush s0 seated that it will remain secure until intentionally removed by the operator.

After being used for a considerable time and the brush bristles having become worn so that they no longer extend to the original height above the rotor body it becomes desirable tomake an adjustment so that the original height is again attained. 'I'o accomplish this object, in the agitator constructed in accordance with the present invention, it is only necessary to remove the brush from its seat, this being easily accomplished by the use of a small tool such as a screw driver which is adapted tofseat within a transverselyyextending groove 18 across the upper face of the brush back to enable the operator to depress one end of the brush, against the force of the adjacent spring 17, and to shove that endfurther into the recess 16, thereby permitting the opposite end of the brush to be withdrawn from its recess 16 and thereafter the entire withdrawal of the brush. After the brush has been withdrawn it is reversed end for end so that it assumes the position shown in Figure 4 in which the projecting, reduced ends 15, 15 are positioned upon the near Side of the brush and extend under those sides or portions of the end walls of channel 8 which extend radially the shortest distance. The springs 17, 17 perform their function to hold the ends 15, l5 against the walls and the brush is positioned at its maximum radial position, the bristles extending again to their original height above the rotor surface. To insure that the operator will replace the brush in the correct position the words Worn brush-pulley end are positioned adjacent` that end of the brush which is to be seated adjacent the pulley after the brush has been in use and is to be replaced.

From the foregoing it is apparent that applicant has provided a new and improved suction cleaner agitator in which, through the provision of a new and novel structural relationship it is possible for the brush to be adjusted to compensate for bristle wear and thereby increase the effective brush life.

I claim:

1. In a suction cleaner agitator, a cylindrical body having therein van elongated brush seat with fixed ends, a removable brush adapted to be selectively seated in one of a plurality of positions in said seat, a plurality of fixed means on said body overlying said brush to oppose centrifugal force and to limit the height thereof above said body, and means on said brush adapted to c0- operate with certain of said limiting means in a predetermined manner in each of the various brush positions to determine the brush height above said body.

2. In a suction cleaner agitator, a cylindrical body having therein an elongated brush seat with xed ends, a brush adapted to be reversibly positioned in said seat, stationary means on said seat overlying said brush to determine the height thereof Arelative to said body in one brush position, second stationary means overlying said brush to position said brush at a greater height in a second brush position, and means on said brush adapted to cooperate with one of said stationary positioning means in a 4predetermined manner depending on the position of said brush.

3. In a suction cleaner agitator, a body having an elongated brush seat comprising an end wall formed with an opening, said wall extended lower on one side of a vertically longitudinally-extending bisecting plane than upon the other, a brush adapted to be positioned in said seatand having end portions each adapted to extend into said opening and contact an end wall on oneside of said plane, characterized by the'fact that the opposite end portions of said brush contact one end Wall on opposite sides of said plane upon the reversal of the brush.

4. In a suction cleaner agitator, a body comprising an elongated brush seat having end walls with openings, said openings being of greater height on one side than on thevother, a reversible brush positioned in said seat having a portion extended into `oneside of one of said openings and contacting one side only of the top thereof, a like portionv on the opposite end of said brush, characterized by the fact that upon the reversal 0f said brush the like portion contacts the 0pposite side of the said opening to etfect a diiferent brush height.

5. In a. suction cleaner agitator, a cylindrical body with an elongated brush seat therein having xed ends and spaced pairs of cooperating stationary brush stops at diierent heights in said seat adapted to selectively overlie said brush, a brush adapted to be reversibly positioned in said seat having portions adapted to selectively yseat under and cooperate with one of said pairs of stops depending on its position in said seat.

6. In a suction cleaner agitator, a body comprising an elongated brush seat having fixed ends and brush stops at one of said ends, one of said stops being higher in said seat than a second stop, a brush, xed means on said brush adapted to underlie and contact said higher stop in cne position of said brush, iixed means on said brush to underlie contact said second stop in a second position, and means to hold said brush in said seat in either position against one of said stops.

7. A detachable brush for a suction cleaner agitator comprising a body, bristles in said body, and projecting ends of reduced size projecting from said body upon the same side of a vertical plane thru the longitudinal center line and separated from the main portion of the body by a shoulder.

8. In a suction cleaner agitator, a body comprising an elongated brush seat provided with a plurality of brush stops, a brush including a rigid back formed with a plurality vof stops adapted to cooperate with the stops in said back, to determine the height of said brush relative to said seat and so relative to the agitator surface, certain of said stops being positioned higher on the member on which they are Aformed than certain of the other stops, said brush being adjustable in said seat to change the cooperating stops on said brush and on said seat for the purpose of varying the height of said brush in said seat.

J. W. WOLFE. 

